Traffic Accidenthttp://www.businessinsider.com/category/traffic-accident
en-usFri, 18 Aug 2017 02:04:04 -0400Fri, 18 Aug 2017 02:04:04 -0400The latest news on Traffic Accident from Business Insiderhttp://static3.businessinsider.com/assets/images/bilogo-250x36-wide-rev.pngBusiness Insiderhttp://www.businessinsider.com
http://www.businessinsider.com/japan-traffic-deaths-surging-elderly-drivers-2017-7Traffic deaths are surging in Japan because of all the seniors behind the wheelhttp://www.businessinsider.com/japan-traffic-deaths-surging-elderly-drivers-2017-7
Tue, 25 Jul 2017 13:56:00 -0400Chris Weller
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/58eb900077bb7099008b7622-2400/undefined" alt="japanese man" data-mce-source="Reuters" /></p><p>As people age, they tend to lose sharpness when it comes to <a href="https://psychcentral.com/news/2010/09/13/as-we-age-loss-of-brain-connections-slows-our-reaction-time/18031.html">reaction time</a>, <a href="http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/my-fall-last-fall-201603149311">spatial awareness</a>, and vision.</p>
<p>In Japan, where the elderly population has been swelling for the past two decades, that shift has led to an alarming trend on the road.</p>
<p>Recent data from the country's&nbsp;<a href="http://www.npa.go.jp/toukei/koutuu48/toukeie.htm">National Police Agency</a> show that 13% of traffic deaths (459 fatalities) were caused by a driver 75 years and older in 2016. That's up from 7.4% in 2006. What's more, senior-caused traffic accidents, fatal or not,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-japan-elderly-drivers-idUST29921020080318">have been increasing</a> since the late 1990s.</p>
<p>Two factors seem to be&nbsp;at play. The first is that the rate of traffic fatalities overall has actually been going down &mdash; the 2016 figure was a <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-07-23/elderly-drivers-are-wreaking-havoc-on-japan-s-roads">67-year low </a>for Japan. But the other is that Japan's elderly population keeps growing, which means&nbsp;more older drivers are on the road.</p>
<p>As a result, the elderly are keeping&nbsp;the traffic death count higher than it would be if they were to hand over their keys.</p>
<p>Private industry and local governments have tried to persuade them to stop driving. At least 10 years ago, Japanese banks <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-japan-elderly-drivers-idUST29921020080318">started offering higher interest rates</a> to seniors who gave up their drivers' licenses. Department stores started offering free delivery to senior customers. Recently, one town began awarding seniors one year of free bus rides, at which point&nbsp;taxi services&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-07-23/elderly-drivers-are-wreaking-havoc-on-japan-s-roads">began pushing</a> discounts of their own.</p>
<p>Such&nbsp;strategies may be necessary, since Japan isn't getting any younger.</p>
<p><span>Census figures from 2015 show that&nbsp;<a href="http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/06/29/national/japan-census-report-shows-surge-elderly-population-many-living-alone/#.WHZgiLYrJ7M">26.7% of Japan's population</a><span> is at least 65 years old. At the current pace, estimates suggest the proportion will rise to 33% by 2035 and 40% by 2060.&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p><span>Japan's&nbsp;aging population has led to other consequences as well. Millions of older people <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/japan-fertility-crisis-2017-4">have put an enormous strain</a> on Japan's social security system, burdening younger generations that are increasingly <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/japan-fertility-crisis-2017-4">deciding not to start families.</a></span></p>
<p><span>Economists have <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/japan-fertility-crisis-2017-4">observed that this trend</a> of low fertility, rapid aging, and low consumer spending make for a vicious cycle. As couples spend less, the economy tightens, which gives them even less incentive to bring a baby into the world, which means there are fewer consumers. And the cycle continues.</span></p>
<p><span>In the case of traffic deaths, Hiroshi Takahashi, a former professor at the International University of Health and Welfare Graduate School, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-07-23/elderly-drivers-are-wreaking-havoc-on-japan-s-roads">told Bloomberg</a> that&nbsp;the Japanese government could curb the growing fatality rates by giving&nbsp;seniors more ways&nbsp;to get around.</span></p>
<p><span>"The government is restricting their movements without giving alternative mobility options, which makes it really difficult for them to stop driving," he&nbsp;said.</span></p>
<p><span>If Japan's</span><span>&nbsp;elderly&nbsp;do hand over their keys, their best options are public transportation &mdash; which can be hard for those unable to walk long distances &mdash; or recruiting a family member to drive them around. </span></p>
<p><span>Faced with&nbsp;those two imperfect options, many Japanese seniors have opted to stick with their own wheels for the sake of independence, no matter the risk.</span></p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/japan-fertility-crisis-2017-4" >'This is death to the family': Japan's fertility crisis is creating economic and social woes never seen before</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/japan-traffic-deaths-surging-elderly-drivers-2017-7#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/luxurious-train-suite-shiki-shima-train-japan-2017-5">It'll cost you $10,000 to get a first-class suite on Japan's new luxury train</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/traffic-deaths-fall-kenya-research-2017-5Research finds complaining to bus drivers could prevent traffic deathshttp://www.businessinsider.com/traffic-deaths-fall-kenya-research-2017-5
Wed, 24 May 2017 13:33:00 -0400Chris Weller
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/59259c0134911b19008b6179-1772/rtrcn5x.jpg" alt="kenya matatu" data-mce-source="Antony Njuguna/Reuters"></p><p>Out of the <a href="http://asirt.org/initiatives/informing-road-users/road-safety-facts/road-crash-statistics">1.3 million road deaths</a> that occur each year, roughly 90% occur in the developing world.</p>
<p>A growing body of research suggests those rates might fall if people complained more.</p>
<p>Over the last eight years, Georgetown University researchers have found one of the cheapest, most effective ways to minimize the number of traffic fatalities in Kenya is to place stickers inside matatus, or minibus taxis, that encourage passengers to speak up if their driver is being unsafe.</p>
<p>Drivers, meanwhile, are incentivized to place the stickers in their buses because it grants them entry into a weekly lottery for cash prizes.</p>
<p>One <a href="http://faculty.georgetown.edu/wgj/papers/Matatu-paper-July2410.pdf">study in 2010 of 2,500 matatus</a> and <a href="http://www.pnas.org/content/112/34/E4661.full">another in 2015 of 12,000 matatus</a> found that evocative stickers led to fewer deaths and insurance claims. Drivers also reduced their average speed if their buses carried stickers warning passengers of speeding, the research found.</p>
<p>Researchers estimate the program prevented 140 accidents and 55 deaths per year.&nbsp;</p>
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/592599cd34911bd40c8b5fb6-726/zusha.jpg" alt="zusha" data-mce-source="PNAS">The stickers came courtesy of the charity Zusha!, which aims to reduce traffic fatalities in east Africa — primarily Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.&nbsp;</p>
<p>GiveWell, a nonprofit that analyzes charities for their effectiveness, recently announced it was considering including Zusha! (Swahili for "protest") on its upcoming list of top charities of 2017, due out in November.</p>
<p>GiveWell points to some compelling data from the randomized trials — namely, that something as small as a sticker cut collision rates by up to two thirds in the pilot study and up to one third in the larger follow-up study, just due to people feeling comfortable complaining.</p>
<p><span>"These effects seem surprisingly large to us, and we are interested to see whether the intervention will find similar effects in future [randomized controlled trials]," GiveWell <a href="http://blog.givewell.org/2017/02/28/considering-zusha-potential-2017-top-charity/">wrote on its blog</a> in February.</span></p>
<p><span>Behavioral economists call interventions like Zusha!'s stickers a "nudge." Nudges are small, environmental changes that subtly push (or nudge) people toward some healthier, safer, or more financially lucrative behavior over a more destructive one.</span></p>
<p><span><img src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/59259a7f34911b102e8b5d30-2400/rtx1lmzo.jpg" alt="kenya matatu" data-mce-source="Noor Khamis/Reuters"></span><span>One of the most famous examples of a nudge in action involves <a href="https://nudges.wordpress.com/2009/09/27/richard-thaler-on-organ-donation/">organ donation</a>. Countries whose organ donation forms make becoming an organ donor the default option, opposed to a box people need to actively check, see considerably more people sign up. </span></p>
<p><span>The nudge exploits people's unwillingness to lose what they already have, which economists call "loss aversion."</span></p>
<p><span>Researchers have fond the matatu stickers seem to work because people need the nudge to vocalize their concerns. Though it might seem trivial, even something as cheap as a sticker is enough to grant that life-saving permission.</span></p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/basic-income-experiments-in-2017-2017-1" >8 basic income experiments to watch out for in 2017</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/traffic-deaths-fall-kenya-research-2017-5#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/giraffes-poke-heads-through-windows-2016-5">A luxury lodge in Kenya lets you hang out with giraffes all day</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/audi-usas-innovative-tail-lights-2017-4Audi USA's innovative tail lights are mesmerizinghttp://www.businessinsider.com/audi-usas-innovative-tail-lights-2017-4
Tue, 11 Apr 2017 16:02:52 -0400Lauren Shamo
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/category/audi">Audi</a>&nbsp;recently revealed a fascinating<span>&nbsp;new tail light concept called "The Swarm." It's&nbsp;actually a continuous OLED screen.&nbsp;</span>Although it isn't&nbsp;yet legal in the US, it is&nbsp;a great innovation for future cars.&nbsp;</p>
<p><span>&nbsp;</span><span><strong>Follow Tech Insider:</strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/techinsider/">On Facebook</a></span></p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/audi-usas-innovative-tail-lights-2017-4#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/12-dead-several-injured-in-texas-van-crash-2017-313 dead, several injured in Texas van crashhttp://www.businessinsider.com/12-dead-several-injured-in-texas-van-crash-2017-3
Wed, 29 Mar 2017 19:43:06 -0400
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/58dc509877bb7099008b4ed9-2400/ap17089000300027.jpg" alt="Texas church van crash" data-mce-source="KABB/WOAI via AP" data-mce-caption="In this aerial image made from a video provided by KABB/WOAI authorities respond to a deadly crash involving a van carrying church members and a pickup truck on U.S. 83 outside Garner State Park in northern Uvalde County, Texas, Wednesday, March 29, 2017."></p><p></p>
<p>UVALDE, Texas (AP) — A small shuttle bus carrying Texas church members home from a retreat collided head-on with a pickup truck, killing 13 people and injuring two others Wednesday on a two-lane highway in southwestern Texas, officials said.</p>
<p>All of the victims who died were senior adults who attended First Baptist Church of New Braunfels, Texas, including the driver. A total of 14 senior adults were on the bus and the driver was the only person in the pickup when the vehicles collided about 12:30 p.m. on U.S. 83 outside Garner State Park in northern Uvalde County, according to Texas Department of Public Safety Sgt. Conrad Hein and a church statement. The area is about 75 miles (120.7 km) west of San Antonio.</p>
<p>Hein said two other bus passengers and the pickup driver were injured and hospitalized. One of those passengers died at a San Antonio hospital late Wednesday, DPS Lt. Johnny Hernandez said. The lone surviving passenger was hospitalized in critical condition, while the truck driver was hospitalized in stable condition, he said.</p>
<p>It was not immediately clear what caused the collision about 120 miles (193.1 km) from the church, where the members were headed.</p>
<p>The National Transportation Safety Board has sent investigators to the scene, NTSB spokesman Terry Williams said.</p>
<p>Photos and video of the <span>crash's</span> aftermath showed heavy damage to the front drivers' sides of both vehicles where it appeared the two had collided. The back of the bus was up on a guardrail, with glass and debris scattered onto the grass below.</p>
<p>Hein said the small bus was a 2004 Turtle Top, though he did not know the specific model. Turtle Top's website features shuttle buses with capacities ranging from 17 to 51 passengers, which they bill as "a great alternative to the standard 15-passenger <span>van</span>." Safety concerns have long surrounded the 15-passenger <span>vans</span>, also frequently used by churches and other groups, with advocates saying they can be difficult to control in an emergency.</p>
<p>Church officials said in a statement on the First Baptist website that the members were returning from a three-day retreat at the Alto Frio Baptist Encampment in Leakey, about 9 miles (14.5 km) north of where the <span>crash</span> happened.</p>
<p>The church officials were "ministering to family members to help them deal with this tragedy," according to the statement. Counselors also were scheduled to be available Thursday at the church.</p>
<p>Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and his wife, Cecilia, offered their condolences in the hours after the <span>crash</span>.</p>
<p>"We are saddened by the loss of life and our hearts go out to all those affected," their statement said. "We thank the first responders working on the scene in the wake of this unimaginable tragedy, and ask that all Texans join us in offering their thoughts and prayers."</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/12-dead-several-injured-in-texas-van-crash-2017-3#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/casualties-trump-administration-anthony-scaramucci-fired-comey-yates-bharara-flynn-priebus-donald-2017-7">All the big firings and resignations of the Trump administration so far</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/r-more-us-middle-school-students-dying-of-suicide-than-car-crashes-2016-11More middle-school-aged kids are now dying by suicide than in car crasheshttp://www.businessinsider.com/r-more-us-middle-school-students-dying-of-suicide-than-car-crashes-2016-11
Mon, 07 Nov 2016 10:47:00 -0500Lydia Ramsey and Reuters
<p>Suicide has become more deadly than car crashes for US children 10 to 14.&nbsp;</p>
<p>The suicide rate among US&nbsp;middle school students doubled from 2007 to 2014, surpassing for the first time the death rate&nbsp;among kids&nbsp;aged 10 to 14 from&nbsp;car crashes. That's according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/65/wr/mm6543a8.htm">report published Thursday.</a></p>
<p>The rise in middle school suicides, from an annual rate of 0.9 to 2.1 per 100,000 people, happened at the same time&nbsp;traffic deaths among the same age group declined to 1.9 per 100,000.</p>
<p><img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/5820883f46e27ab6608b4990-704/middle school.gif" alt="middle school" data-mce-source="CDC" /></p>
<p>Since 1999, the rate of traffic deaths per 100,000 people was down almost 60%, a substantial drop compared to suicide and homicide rates. And this drop hasn't just been observed among 10 to 14 year-olds: Mortality rates from traffic collisions among all age groups have decreased over several decades in the United States, which observers attribute in part to improved safety features in cars, such as airbags.</p>
<p>In aggregate numbers, 425 young people 10 to 14 years of age took their own lives in 2014, compared with 384 who perished in automobile accidents that year, according to the CDC.</p>
<p>Those figures contrasted sharply with figures from 1999, when the rate of middle school students killed in car crashes, was four times higher than the rate among those who died from suicide that year.</p>
<p>"Any rise (in youth suicides) should be of concern, there's no doubt," Mark Kaplan, a professor of social welfare at the University of California, Los Angeles, said in a phone interview, commenting on the findings.</p>
<p>Although the CDC's numbers can show us these rates, they can't necessarily point to a particular cause.The underlying causes of suicide are highly complex, making it difficult to explain the trends documented by the CDC, he added.</p>
<p>"In time we might uncover some reasons, but a cautionary note [is] not to rush to any conclusions from this," Kaplan said.</p>
<p>The leading overall cause of death for Americans 10 to 14 years of age remains accidents of all kinds, including car crashes, accounting for 750 fatalities in that age group in 2014, according to the CDC.</p>
<p><em>(Reuters reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis in Los Angeles; Editing by Steve Gorman and Michael Perry)</em></p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/prescription-drug-costs-explained-2016-10" >Everyone wants a piece of the drug-industry and it's one reason prices are rising so fast</a></strong></p>
<p><strong>DON'T MISS:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/prop-61-california-drug-prices-2016-10" >The most expensive ballot measure in California has drugmakers fighting 'tooth and nail'</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-more-us-middle-school-students-dying-of-suicide-than-car-crashes-2016-11#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/good-cholesterol-hdl-not-so-good-2017-7">We may have been wrong about ‘good’ cholesterol all this time</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/r-tour-bus-crash-in-southern-california-kills-13-people-report-2016-10Tour bus crash in southern California reportedly kills 13 peoplehttp://www.businessinsider.com/r-tour-bus-crash-in-southern-california-kills-13-people-report-2016-10
Sun, 23 Oct 2016 13:52:00 -0400
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/580cf891c52402e6018b65a5-444/awuiqeio.png" alt="awuiqeio" data-mce-source="Screenshot/Instagram" data-link="https://www.instagram.com/tarps_photos/"></p><p></p>
<p>(Reuters) - A tour bus crashed into the back of a tractor-trailer on a Southern California highway before dawn on Sunday, killing at least 13 people and injuring 31, an NBC affiliate reported.</p>
<p>The bus was traveling west on Interstate 10 when the crash occurred near Palm Springs, a city about 100 miles (160 km) east of Los Angeles, the television station reported.</p>
<p>The Riverside County Coroner's Office confirmed 13 people aboard the bus were killed, the station said.</p>
<p>The National Transportation Safety Board said it will investigate the fatal crash and is sending an investigative team to the crash site.</p>
<p>Photographs from the scene showed the front of the tour bus wedged inside the back of the trailer, with emergency workers using metal ladders to reach the inside of the bus. A tow truck was used to separate the vehicles, local media including the Desert Sun newspaper reported.</p>
<p>The injured were being treated at local hospitals, while all westbound lanes of the interstate were closed near the crash, according to the reports.</p>
<p>The bus had left the Red Earth Casino in Salton City, California, and was headed to Los Angeles when the crash was reported to the California Highway Patrol at 5:17 a.m. (1217 GMT), the NBC affiliate said. </p>
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<p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://instagram.com/p/BL6PaYjgMFr/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_top">#breaking news out of Palm Springs Ca this morning 21 people transported to the hospital and 3 fatalities on I10 freeway Westbound this morning After tour bus runs into back of big rig @kesq_news_channel_3 @cbslocal2</a>
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<time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-10-23T15:12:12+00:00">Oct 23, 2016 at 8:12am PDT</time></p>
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Not good...<br><br>Tour bus crash near <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PalmSprings?src=hash">#PalmSprings</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/California?src=hash">#California</a> kills at least 11, closes I-10 <a href="https://t.co/WXnHxSqfw4">https://t.co/WXnHxSqfw4</a> <br><br>Palm Springs, California. <a href="https://t.co/byphemNQS0">pic.twitter.com/byphemNQS0</a> </p>— The Detroit Scanner (@DetroitScanner) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/790241096995602432">October 23, 2016</a>
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BREAKING: At least 7 dead in tour bus, semi-truck crash near Palm Springs, California Highway Patrol says <a href="https://t.co/z5MHZW8L7R">https://t.co/z5MHZW8L7R</a> <a href="https://t.co/nlG0mZ79WS">pic.twitter.com/nlG0mZ79WS</a> </p>— Eyewitness News (@ABC7NY) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/790238178787680256">October 23, 2016</a>
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<p>(Reporting by David Ingram in New York and David Shepardson in Washington; Editing by Bill Trott and Sandra Maler)</p>
<p> </p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-tour-bus-crash-in-southern-california-kills-13-people-report-2016-10#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/why-texas-hasnt-had-a-day-without-a-traffic-fatality-in-over-15-years-2016-1Texas hasn't had a day without a traffic fatality in over 15 years for 2 main reasonshttp://www.businessinsider.com/why-texas-hasnt-had-a-day-without-a-traffic-fatality-in-over-15-years-2016-1
Sat, 09 Jan 2016 15:25:03 -0500Angie Schmitt
<p>This&nbsp;calendar is published by the&nbsp;Texas Department of Transportation as part of its traffic&nbsp;safety efforts. It shows how many fatal collisions&nbsp;and traffic deaths happened&nbsp;every day of the year. On average, someone is killed every two and a half hours on Texas streets, and someone&nbsp;is injured every two minutes, according to TxDOT [<a href="http://ftp.dot.state.tx.us/pub/txdot/trf/crash-statistics/2014/01.pdf" target="_blank">PDF</a>].</p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/5691598de6183e1d008b8265-600-764/cyjtj-5wkaaissd.png" alt="Texas DOT" data-mce-source="Texas DOT" data-mce-caption="Fatal crashes and fatalities calendar." data-link="http://usa.streetsblog.org/2016/01/08/texas-dot-isnt-learning-from-its-horrific-road-fatalities-calendar/" /></p>
<p>Texas&nbsp;hasn&rsquo;t had a day without a traffic fatality in more than 15 years. In that time, more than 50,000 people have been killed on Texas roads &mdash; an absolutely staggering number.&nbsp;</p>
<p>By comparison, California, with a population&nbsp;44 percent larger, <a href="http://vehicle-fatalities.findthedata.com/">has nearly 300 fewer traffic deaths per year</a>.&nbsp;(The safest state, Massachusetts, has a per capita traffic fatality rate nearly 60 percent lower than Texas&rsquo;s.)</p>
<p>State officials in Texas&nbsp;<a href="http://drunk%20driving%2C%20alcohol%20and%20seat%20belts./" target="_blank">attribute the problem</a>&nbsp;to drunk driving&nbsp;and failure to use&nbsp;seat belts &mdash; not any shortcoming&nbsp;in their own work.&nbsp;Just one day without a traffic fatality is the agency&rsquo;s depressingly unambitious&nbsp;goal: #EndTheStreak, they call it. TxDOT&rsquo;s&nbsp;strategy seems to consist mainly of using&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/txdot" target="_blank">Twitter</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78y5a_whhnc" target="_blank">PSAs</a>&nbsp;to reach&nbsp;drivers.</p>
<p>What if, instead of #EndTheStreak, Texas state transportation officials got serious about&nbsp;ending traffic fatalities altogether? What if they launched&nbsp;a statewide Vision Zero campaign?</p>
<p><img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/55d7489369bedd0c4bef527c-3500-2332/traffic-31.jpg" alt="traffic" data-mce-source="REUTERS/Mike Blake " /></p>
<p>A concerted effort to reduce traffic deaths&nbsp;would have to involve solutions much more&nbsp;substantial than PSAs. It would require an entire rethinking of the&nbsp;state&rsquo;s&nbsp;transportation policies.</p>
<p>A&nbsp;growing number of American cities are adopting Vision Zero goals and laying out plans to fix their dangerously designed streets &mdash; making more room for walking and biking while taming speeding traffic. The idea is gaining momentum in&nbsp;<a href="http://usa.streetsblog.org/2015/09/24/the-movement-to-eliminate-traffic-deaths-gains-strength-in-texas-cities/" target="_blank">Texas cities</a>&nbsp;too.</p>
<p>TxDOT&rsquo;s #EndTheStreak campaign&nbsp;clearly isn&rsquo;t getting the job done. Statewide traffic deaths increased 3.7 percent in 2014 compared to the year before&nbsp;[<a href="http://ftp.dot.state.tx.us/pub/txdot/trf/crash-statistics/2014/01.pdf" target="_blank">PDF</a>]. Without a&nbsp;fundamental paradigm shift, there&rsquo;s no reason to expect&nbsp;this year&rsquo;s calendar will be any different.</p>
<p><em>Hat Tip: <a href="https://twitter.com/KostelecPlan">Kostelec Planning</a></em></p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/why-texas-hasnt-had-a-day-without-a-traffic-fatality-in-over-15-years-2016-1#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/chinese-traffic-jam-madness-2015-10">This 50-lane traffic jam in China will make you regret ever complaining about your commute</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/cell-phones-causing-car-crashes-and-deaths-2015-5Cell phones are causing more and more car crasheshttp://www.businessinsider.com/cell-phones-causing-car-crashes-and-deaths-2015-5
Sun, 31 May 2015 11:15:09 -0400Christopher Woody
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"><img style="float:right;" src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/525aa0abecad04bf45c07621-1200-924/ap68401506020.jpg" border="0" alt="text drive testing driving"></span>More than a quarter of all car crashes in America are likely caused by cell phone use, a <a href="http://www.nsc.org/DistractedDrivingDocuments/Cell-Phone-Estimate-Summary-2013.pdf">study</a> by the Nation Safety Council has shown.</p>
<p>According to the NSC, the estimate for crashes <a href="http://www.nsc.org/DistractedDrivingDocuments/Cell-Phone-Estimate-Summary-2013.pdf">caused by texting</a> rose to at least 6% in 2013.</p>
<p>Additionally, 21% of crashes in 2013 were related to the use of handheld or hands-free phones.</p>
<p>The council estimates that talking on the phone led to 1.2 million wrecks&nbsp;<span>in 2013&nbsp;</span>, while texting was involved in at least 341,000 more.</p>
<p>There were some 5.69 million auto crashes in the US in 2013, the NSC <a href="http://www.nsc.org/DistractedDrivingDocuments/Cell-Phone-Estimate-Summary-2013.pdf">estimates</a> based on National Highway Traffic Safety Administration figures.</p>
<p>The NSC found that 9% of drivers at any time during daylight hours were talking on cell phones, and that drivers talking on the phone while behind the wheel were four times as likely to crash as drivers who were not using their phones.</p>
<p>The number of drivers “<a href="http://www.nsc.org/DistractedDrivingDocuments/Cell-Phone-Estimate-Summary-2013.pdf">manually manipulating</a>” handheld devices, a catch-all term for using a phone with your hands to do things like text, was estimated to be 1.7% of all drivers at anytime during the day. Though studies into the subject have been limited, text messaging while driving is believed to increase the risk of crash eight to 23 times over driving while not texting.</p>
<p>The latest findings mark the third year in a row that phone-related crashes have increased in the US, <a href="http://www.networkworld.com/article/2927606/smartphones/cellphone-use-involved-in-more-than-1-in-4-car-crashes.html">Bob Brown</a> of Network World writes.</p>
<p>According to the National Transportation Safety Board, distracted driving was one of the America’s <a href="http://www.networkworld.com/article/2868452/security0/ntsb-distracted-driving-among-top-10-transportation-safety-challenges.html">most pressing</a> transportation challenges.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.ntsb.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/PR20150202.aspx"><img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/556b1f4becad042f6b11c3fc-745-609/screen shot 2015-05-31 at 10.46.39 am.png" border="0" alt="Screen Shot 2015 05 31 at 10.46.39 AM"></a></p>
<p>NTSB data also showed that in 2013, <a href="http://www.ntsb.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/PR20150202.aspx">32,719 people died</a> on US roadways in 2013 — a decrease of about 1,000 from 2012, though roadway deaths made up almost 94% of all transportation deaths.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Of the roadway <a href="http://www.ntsb.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/PR20150202.aspx">fatalities</a> recorded in 2013, 11,977 occurred in passenger cars and 9,155 happened in light trucks and vans.</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/texting-and-driving-crash-footage-2014-1#ixzz3bjHcce00" >A Car Crash Caused By Texting And Driving Was Caught On A Dashcam</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/cell-phones-causing-car-crashes-and-deaths-2015-5#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/audi-r8-driverless-concept-car-china-ces-a8-e-tron-2015-5">The driverless electric supercar concept that Audi brought to China would impress Iron Man</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/subaru-eyesight-helps-prevent-car-crashes-2015-3Subaru's new EyeSight technology is an auto-industry game changerhttp://www.businessinsider.com/subaru-eyesight-helps-prevent-car-crashes-2015-3
Sun, 08 Mar 2015 21:08:00 -0400Bryan Logan
<p><span>We have reached a new phase in automotive safety. For several decades, safety features have centered on reducing the chance of serious injury or death in a crash. Things like airbags, anti-lock brakes, and crumple zones assume collisions are inevitable. Now we're on the cusp of dramatically reducing that probability.</span></p>
<p>Subaru has added this amazing technology called <a href="http://www.subaru.com/vehicles/outback/special-features.html">EyeSight</a> to its cars.<span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> </span><img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/54fcdae36bb3f79d02e2131f/subaru%20eyesight%202.gif" border="0" alt="Subaru EyeSight 2" style="line-height: 1.5em;"></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Cameras mounted near the top of the car's windshield watch for approaching obstacles and warn the driver. If the driver doesn't respond, the car stops itself.</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">The Subaru Legacy and Outback equipped with EyeSight both </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"></span><a href="http://www.subaru.com/content/downloads/pdf/awards/IIHS%20Status%20Report%20-%20FINAL.pdf">earned the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's top crash-avoidance rating</a> recently, but here's the game-changing part: t<span style="line-height: 1.5em;">he IIHS — the same agency that helped make <a href="http://youtu.be/uYQR5ktq7W0">crash test dummies</a> famous — is now testing crash </span><em style="line-height: 1.5em;">avoidance</em><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">. </span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">That's big, and here's why: If enough automakers succeed at designing cars that can successfully, and autonomously, avoid a collision, accident rates will fall, and eventually so will insurance premiums.</span></p>
<p>But there's another upside.</p>
<p>Crash-avoidance technology is also helping steer the auto industry toward self-driving vehicles. These safety features use strategically mounted cameras and sensors to help the vehicle interact with its surroundings. We now have cars that can tell you when you're drifting into another lane, and they can tell you whether another car is in your blind spot. Many have active cruise control, which monitors the distance between you and the vehicle up ahead. </p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">All of these are precursors to vehicles that will eventually drive themselves. Mercedes is nailing this with the new S-Class:</span></p>
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<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"></span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/volvo-has-a-braking-system-that-can-stop-a-40-ton-semi-on-a-dime-2015-3">And it's not just passenger cars that are benefiting from this technology</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">.</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Now that the IIHS is ranking vehicles for how well they avoid crashes, we can expect more automakers to bring this technology to market and to eventually see our roads become a much safer place. </span></p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/here-come-the-ultra-luxurious-suvs-2015-2" >Here come the ultra-luxurious SUVs!</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/subaru-eyesight-helps-prevent-car-crashes-2015-3#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/mercedes-new-self-driving-car-f-015-2015-1">The New Mercedes Driverless Car Even Has The Driver's Seat Facing Away From The Road</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/photo-heres-what-happened-to-a-truck-higher-than-the-overpass-it-tried-to-go-under-2014-12PHOTO: Here's What Happened To A Truck Higher Than The Overpass It Tried To Go Underhttp://www.businessinsider.com/photo-heres-what-happened-to-a-truck-higher-than-the-overpass-it-tried-to-go-under-2014-12
Fri, 05 Dec 2014 05:23:20 -0500Simon Thomsen
<p>Victorian Police have just posted this photo of a truck that tried to make it under the rail overpass in Montague Street, South Melbourne without enough clearance.</p>
<p>Good luck to the driver as he explains this one to his boss.</p>
<p>Bad luck to the motorists behind him. The accident happened just after 11am. As police said, expect delays.</p>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<p>A truck has collided with a bridge in Montague Street, South Melbourne <a href="http://t.co/Oa1eG3VQyU">http://t.co/Oa1eG3VQyU</a>. Delays are expected. <a href="http://t.co/meFBxUal1O">pic.twitter.com/meFBxUal1O</a></p>— Victoria Police (@VictoriaPolice) <a href="https://twitter.com/VictoriaPolice/status/540668570179346432">December 5, 2014</a>
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<p><img src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/548187a4dd0895e81b8b45b0-730-655/melb-traffic.png" border="0" alt="Melb traffic"></p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/photo-heres-what-happened-to-a-truck-higher-than-the-overpass-it-tried-to-go-under-2014-12#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/vision-zero-traffic-fatalities-new-york-2014-11This Radical Plan Could End All Traffic Fatalities In New Yorkhttp://www.businessinsider.com/vision-zero-traffic-fatalities-new-york-2014-11
Thu, 06 Nov 2014 09:06:00 -0500Sam Rega
<p>On Nov. 7 the speed limit in New York City becomes 25 mph. Previously, it was 30 mph. This change is part of New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio's&nbsp;<a href="http://www.nyc.gov/html/visionzero/pages/home/home.html">Vision Zero</a>&nbsp;initiative to end traffic fatalities in the city by 2024.</p>
<p><span>The Big Apple looked to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.visionzeroinitiative.com/">Sweden</a>&nbsp;for a solution after 294 traffic fatalities in 2013 — the city's worst year since 2006.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><em>Produced by <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/author/sam-rega">Sam Rega</a></em></p>
<p><span><strong>Follow BI Video:</strong>&nbsp;<a href="http://www.twitter.com/BI_Video">On Twitter</a></span></p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/vision-zero-traffic-fatalities-new-york-2014-11#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/truck-overturn-bee-release-2014-5Millions Of Bees Released After Truck Overturns In Delawarehttp://www.businessinsider.com/truck-overturn-bee-release-2014-5
Tue, 20 May 2014 23:48:00 -0400Paul Szoldra
<p>As many as 20 million honey bees were <a href="http://www.coastreporter.net/up-to-20-million-bees-swarm-after-truck-overturns-in-delaware-people-told-to-stay-away-1.1068836">released after a tractor-trailer overturned</a> on a Delaware highway Tuesday, according to The Coast Reporter.</p>
<p>The Maine-bound truck was carrying 460 crated bee hives, with an estimated 16 to 20 million honeybees inside. With the truck overturned, the swarm of bees has forced investigators to stay back and shut down the highway ramp until they disperse.</p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">"We contacted beekeepers to assist," State Police Sgt. Paul Shavack </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"></span><a href="http://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/traffic/2014/05/20/truck-carrying-bees-overturns-on-95-on-ramp/9348173/">told</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> Delaware Online, adding that three were advising on the scene.</span></p>
<p>Shavack told the Coast Reporter the bees cannot be rounded up, so firefighters on the scene are spraying them with water to "calm the bee activity."</p>
<p>While there were some reports of passers-by being stung, the worst may have fell on the truck driver and two passengers, who were stung 50 to 100 times each,&nbsp;<a href="http://globalnews.ca/news/1343609/up-to-20-million-bees-swarm-after-truck-overturns-in-delaware/">according</a>&nbsp;to Global News.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23BREAKING&amp;src=hash">#BREAKING</a>- OT tractor trailer hauling live bees on 896 ramp to I 95 NB. Drivers advised to avoid area. Swarming bees. <a href="http://t.co/Sey5Eee1TJ">pic.twitter.com/Sey5Eee1TJ</a></p>
&mdash; FOX 29 (@FOX29philly) <a href="https://twitter.com/FOX29philly/statuses/468892437717721088">May 20, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/truck-overturn-bee-release-2014-5#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/there-is-a-deadly-side-effect-of-the-fracking-boom-that-has-nothing-to-do-with-dirty-water-2014-5There Is A Deadly Side Effect Of The Fracking Boom That Has Nothing To Do With Dirty Waterhttp://www.businessinsider.com/there-is-a-deadly-side-effect-of-the-fracking-boom-that-has-nothing-to-do-with-dirty-water-2014-5
Tue, 06 May 2014 06:49:34 -0400Jonathan Fahey
<p><img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/5368bd60ecad04c75cc385bc-1200-800/fracking-1.jpeg" border="0" alt="fracking" /></p><p>CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (AP) &mdash; Booming production of oil and natural gas has exacted a little-known price on some of the nation's roads, contributing to a spike in traffic fatalities in states where many streets and highways are choked with large trucks and heavy drilling equipment.</p>
<p>An Associated Press analysis of traffic deaths and U.S. census data in six drilling states shows that in some places, fatalities have more than quadrupled since 2004 &mdash; a period when most American roads have become much safer even as the population has grown.</p>
<p>"We are just so swamped," said Sheriff Dwayne Villanueva of Karnes County, Texas, where authorities have been overwhelmed by the surge in serious accidents.</p>
<p>The industry acknowledges the problem, and traffic agencies and oil companies say they are taking steps to improve safety. But no one imagines that the risks will be eliminated quickly or easily.</p>
<p>"I don't see it slowing down anytime soon," Villanueva said.</p>
<p>The traffic accidents have devastated families: two young boys crushed to death last year by a tanker truck in West Virginia; a Pennsylvania father killed by another tanker in 2011; a 19-year old Texas man fatally injured in 2012 after colliding with a drilling truck on his way to work. A month later, on the same road, three retired teachers died in another collision with a truck.</p>
<p>Not all of the crashes involved trucks from drilling projects, and the accidents have been blamed on both heavy equipment drivers and ordinary motorists. But the frenzy of drilling activity contributes heavily to the flood of traffic of all kinds that has overwhelmed many communities.</p>
<p>Deadly crashes are "recognized as one of the key risk areas of the business," said Marvin Odum, who runs Royal Dutch Shell's exploration operations in the Americas.</p>
<p>Crashes often increase when the volume of traffic goes up, whether because of an improving economy, a new shopping mall or more people moving into the area. Still, the number of traffic fatalities in some regions has soared far faster than the population or the number of miles driven.</p>
<p>In North Dakota drilling counties, the population has soared 43 percent over the last decade, while traffic fatalities increased 350 percent. Roads in those counties were nearly twice as deadly per mile driven than the rest of the state. In one Texas drilling district, drivers were 2.5 times more likely to die in a fatal crash per mile driven compared with the statewide average.</p>
<p>This boom is different from those of the past because of the hydraulic-fracturing process, which extracts oil and gas by injecting high-pressure mixtures of water, sand or gravel and chemicals. It requires 2,300 to 4,000 truck trips per well to deliver those fluids. Older drilling techniques needed one-third to one-half as many trips.</p>
<p>Another factor is the speed of development. Drilling activity often ramps up too fast for communities to build better roads, install more traffic signals or hire extra police officers to help direct the flow of cars and trucks.</p>
<p>Last year, a truck carrying drilling water in Clarksburg, West Virginia, overturned onto a car carrying a mother and her two boys. Both children, 7-year-old Nicholas Mazzei-Saum and 8-year-old Alexander, were killed.</p>
<p>"We buried them in the same casket," recalled their father, William Saum. He said his wife, Lucretia Mazzei, has been hospitalized four times over the last year for depression.</p>
<p>Traffic fatalities in West Virginia's most heavily drilled counties, including where the Mazzei-Saum boys were killed, rose 42 percent in 2013. Traffic deaths in the rest of the state declined 8 percent.</p>
<p>The average rate of deaths per 100,000 people &mdash; a key mortality measurement that accounts for population growth &mdash; in North Dakota drilling areas climbed 148 percent on average from 2009 to 2013, compared with the average of the previous five years, the AP found. In the rest of the state, deaths per 100,000 people fell 1 percent over the same period.</p>
<p>Traffic fatalities in Pennsylvania drilling counties rose 4 percent over that time frame, while in the rest of the state they fell 19 percent. New Mexico's traffic fatalities fell 29 percent, except in drilling counties, where they only fell 5 percent.</p>
<p>In 21 Texas counties where drilling has recently expanded, deaths per 100,000 people are up an average of 18 percent. In the rest of Texas, they are down by 20 percent.</p>
<p>For Villanueva, that means there are now accidents serious enough to require air transport of victims three or four times each week, compared with only a few times a month before drilling operations took off.</p>
<p>Some experts say regulatory loopholes contribute to the problem. Federal rules governing how long truckers can stay on the road are less stringent for drivers in the oil and gas industry.</p>
<p>Every truck accident "is a tragedy," said Steve Everley of the industry group Energy in Depth. He said oil and gas drillers and their suppliers have been working to reduce traffic and accidents by adopting safety programs, recycling more drilling water and building more pipelines for water.</p>
<p>Vehicle crashes are the single biggest cause of fatalities to oil and gas workers, according to a study by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.</p>
<p>Some states are working to reverse the trend by widening roads or promoting safer driving.</p>
<p>On the day his sons were killed, William Saum's wife had taken the boys to the YMCA to register for swimming and karate classes. The truck didn't stop at the stop sign, tried to make a turn and flipped onto the family car. Police issued two traffic tickets but filed no criminal charges.</p>
<p>Asked what he thinks of the drilling boom, he paused.</p>
<p>"I guess," Saum said, "it's good for the people who are making the money."</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Fahey reported from New York.</p>
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<p>Copyright (2014) Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.</p>
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<p><img class="nc_pixel" src="https://pixel.newscred.com/px.gif?key=YXJ0aWNsZT03N2IxMWY5Y2RjMjRlYjBkY2IxODM1YjVmODEzNWNhOSZub25jZT0xNmU0OTY5MS04ZWJmLTQzY2EtOTJlYy0zZDZkOTVlYzgwMzEmcHVibGlzaGVyPTczMGViODZhYjU5ZjBkNDE5MjZhYzY1YjAxZjgzZTJm" border="0" alt="" width="1" height="1" /></p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/there-is-a-deadly-side-effect-of-the-fracking-boom-that-has-nothing-to-do-with-dirty-water-2014-5#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/r-elderly-driver-crashes-truck-into-las-vegas-store-injuring-26-2014-01Elderly Driver Crashes Truck Into Vegas Store, Injures 26http://www.businessinsider.com/r-elderly-driver-crashes-truck-into-las-vegas-store-injuring-26-2014-01
Sat, 01 Mar 2014 22:50:00 -0500Kevin Murphy
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/5312aa346da8118c2ee13ca6-480-/store-crash.png" border="0" alt="store crash" width="480" /></p><p>(Reuters) - An elderly driver accidentally crashed her pickup truck into a Las Vegas grocery store on Saturday, injuring 26 people and sending nine to the hospital, police said.</p>
<p>It was unclear why the woman, who was in her mid-80s, drove into the Food 4 Less store but it did not appear to be deliberate, said Lieutenant Ken Romane of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.</p>
<p>Nine people with minor to moderate injuries, including two children, were taken to hospitals but none of them had life-threatening wounds, Romane said. Another 17 people were treated on the scene.</p>
<p>Romane said an investigation of the incident continues and the woman has not been charged.</p>
<p>The truck plowed through the glass front doors of the store, striking shoppers and employees before coming to a stop at the rear of the building, Romane said.</p>
<p>(Reporting by Kevin Murphy in Kansas City, Missouri; Editing by Alex Dobuzinskis and Lisa Shumaker)<span style="line-height: 1.5em;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<p>Supermercados Servi-Carro-Crash&amp;Carry <a href="http://t.co/pyUCRqiBsz">http://t.co/pyUCRqiBsz</a> <a href="http://t.co/hb0wGbDyrG">pic.twitter.com/hb0wGbDyrG</a></p>
&mdash; Sisyphus Ashler (@matuzalem) <a href="https://twitter.com/matuzalem/statuses/439939931172274176">March 2, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-elderly-driver-crashes-truck-into-las-vegas-store-injuring-26-2014-01#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/colorado-accident-2014-31 Killed, 30 Injured In Massive 104-Car Pileup In Coloradohttp://www.businessinsider.com/colorado-accident-2014-3
Sat, 01 Mar 2014 19:01:09 -0500Paul Szoldra
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/5312747ceab8eadf67f07863-480-/denver-traffic-pileup.jpg" border="0" alt="denver traffic pileup" width="480" /></p><p>A northbound stretch of I-25 in Denver was shut down for about five hours Saturday after 104 vehicles <a href="http://www.denverpost.com/weathernews/ci_25254464/snow-related-accidents-close-westbound-i-70-at">were involved in accidents amidst heavy snow</a>, Denver Post reports.</p>
<p>One person was killed and 30 people suffered injuries and were transported to area hospitals, <a href="http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/local-news/snow-accidents-close-sections-of-i-70">according</a> to ABC 7 News.</p>
<p>From Denver Post:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">Denver Health Chief Paramedic Scott Bookman said the injured taken to hospitals included both adults and children.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">The snow had basically stopped in Denver by noon, but heavy snow had fallen for about 40 minutes starting at 10:30 a.m.</p>
<p>"It just kept being a chain reaction, cars hitting and hitting and hitting and hitting each other. You didn&rsquo;t dare move, You didn&rsquo;t dare move," witness Kimberly Fowler told ABC 7 News.</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/colorado-accident-2014-3#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/road-rage-timothy-davison-2014-1Man Shot And Killed After Being Chased More Than 10 Miles By 'Road Rage' Motoristhttp://www.businessinsider.com/road-rage-timothy-davison-2014-1
Fri, 10 Jan 2014 23:56:00 -0500Paul Szoldra
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/52d0cb426bb3f75e27b13928-1200-924/timothy-davison-car.png" border="0" alt="timothy davison car" /></p><p>A Pennsylvania man was shot and killed by an enraged motorist who followed him <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/10/justice/pennsylvania-road-rage-killing/index.html?hpt=hp_t2">up to 15 miles before running him off the road</a>, Pennsylvania State Police tell CNN.</p>
<p>While driving on the interstate in Maryland on his way to Maine last Saturday, 28-year-old Timothy Davison called 911 repeatedly before his car was forced off the road just over the Pennsylvania state line, CNN reports.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/01/08/road-range-pennsylvania/4367711/">From</a> USA Today:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">At about 2:20 a.m. Saturday, he telephoned authorities from his vehicle to say he was being pursued on northbound Interstate 81 near the Maryland-Pennsylvania border, according to WCSH 6.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">Davison, a 28-year-old construction foreman and supervisor, told police the vehicle pursuing him was a Ford Ranger-style pickup truck and said the driver was firing a weapon at him, WCSH reports. At about mile marker 3 in Pennsylvania, the motorist in pursuit forced Davison's vehicle into the median and fired several rounds into the vehicle, WCSH reports.</p>
<p>Davison was later "found in his car with multiple gunshot wounds, including one to the head," <a href="http://www.news10.net/video/default.aspx?bctid=3032572515001&amp;odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE%7Cfeatured">according to</a> ABC News 10.</p>
<p>The suspect is still at-large, and a task force of FBI and state police from Maryland, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia is searching for leads, CNN reports.</p>
<p><span>"How concerned are we that it'll happen again?" Capt. Steven Junkin told CNN. "We obviously have an individual out there who was so incensed that he continued to pursue Mr. Davison and took it to that next step. He murdered an individual for whatever slight that he perceived. Will this person do it again? We don't know. We don't want to take that chance."</span></p>
<p>Police in Kentucky believe Davison's case could possibly be related <span>to the unsolved murder of a police officer last May</span>, Fox News <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M66saPW2Gq8&amp;feature=youtu.be">reports</a>.</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/road-rage-timothy-davison-2014-1#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/19-car-pile-up-in-china-video-2013-2Real Time Video Shows A 19-Car Pile Up On Chinese Motorwayhttp://www.businessinsider.com/19-car-pile-up-in-china-video-2013-2
Thu, 14 Feb 2013 12:38:00 -0500Adam Taylor
<p>This CCTV video starts slowly, with one car apparently having some kind of engine trouble and grinding to a halt on a two lane overpass in the city of Wuxi in the Jiangsu province of China.</p>
<p>The next few cars manage to squeeze by, but before long there's a bottle neck, and the cars' speed and winter conditions prove too difficult to handle. By the time a bus plows into the cars, it's chaos.</p>
<p>The video was <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&amp;v=NzIIFKYaQyI">first uploaded to YouTube by the Beijing Cream blog</a>, who say that the incident happened last week.</p>
<p><object width="590" height="443"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/NzIIFKYaQyI?hl=en_US&amp;version=3" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/NzIIFKYaQyI?hl=en_US&amp;version=3" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="443" width="590" /></object></p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/19-car-pile-up-in-china-video-2013-2#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/driving-through-yellow-light-illegal-in-china-2013-1China's New Traffic Law Seems Designed To Cause Car Crasheshttp://www.businessinsider.com/driving-through-yellow-light-illegal-in-china-2013-1
Wed, 02 Jan 2013 13:32:00 -0500Alex Davies
<p>A new law in China makes driving through a yellow light illegal. As of yesterday, unless a car is partly over the line when the light goes from green to yellow, it must stop, <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/yellow-red-chinas-roads-18111391#.UORvpLaR3Jw">according to the AP</a>.</p>
<p>Drivers in China are not pleased with the change in law, and correctly argue that it is impossible to stop a car at a moment's notice. After all, that is why yellow lights exist: To warn drivers to slow down before they need to stop completely.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.scmp.com/comment/blogs/article/1118119/dont-run-yellow-light-chinese-motorists-attack-new-rule-causes">Amy Li of the South China Morning Post reports</a> that critics include China's state Xinhua News Agency: A <a href="http://weibo.com/1699432410/zcvhdwMbc">post on its Weibo blog</a> noted: "This new rule is against Newton's first law of motion."</p>
<p>According to Li, the idea of the regulation is to curb traffic violations. But if drivers do try to stop suddenly to avoid being penalized, it seems likely that crashes, especially rear-endings, will rise.</p>
<p>Violating the new regulation comes with a steep penalty: Drivers caught running a yellow or a red light will lose six points in a 12-point system. Once a driver loses all 12 points, he must undergo training and pass a new exam, the AP reported.</p>
<p>Running a red light used to come with a penalty of three points.</p>
<p>But while the new rule is in effect, Li reports that traffic authorities currently lack the camera systems that would be used to identify violators.</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/craziest-tsa-finds-of-2012-2012-12" >The 21 Craziest Things The TSA Found In Travelers' Luggage This Year</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/driving-through-yellow-light-illegal-in-china-2013-1#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/gun-deaths-traffic-deaths-report-2012-12REPORT: Deaths From Guns To Exceed Deaths By Traffic Accidents In 2015http://www.businessinsider.com/gun-deaths-traffic-deaths-report-2012-12
Thu, 20 Dec 2012 14:31:29 -0500Walter Hickey
<p>By 2015 more people will be killed by guns than by traffic accidents, according to <a href="by%202015%20more%20people%20will%20be%20killed%20by%20guns%20than%20by%20traffic%20accidents.%20">a startling chart</a> compiled by&nbsp;<a class="hidden_link" href="http://www.businessinsider.com/blackboard/bloomberg">Bloomberg</a> Government's Alex Tribou.</p>
<p><span>Motor vehicle deaths have declined 22 percent since 2005 while gun fatalities &mdash; including homicide, suicide and accidents &mdash; have steadily risen from a low point in 2000.</span></p>
<p>The decline of traffic accident fatalities &mdash; which coincides with deliberate moves to cut back on drunk driving, increase seatbelt use and enforce car safety standards &mdash; and the increase in gun fatalities will lead to a massive change in 2015.&nbsp;</p>
<p>At the current rates, gun deaths should hit around 33,000 annually in 2015 while traffic fatalities should decrease to around 32,000, <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-12-19/american-gun-deaths-to-exceed-traffic-fatalities-by-2015.html">according to Bloomberg estimates.</a></p>
<p><span>Gun fatalities and traffic fatalities are among the major non-medical causes of death in the United States.</span></p>
<p>Here's the chart:</p>
<p><img src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/50d3643d6bb3f76b7500004c-590-/american-gun-deaths-to-exceed-traffic-fatalities-by-2015.jpeg" border="0" alt="gun deaths auto accidents" width="590" /></p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/gun-deaths-traffic-deaths-report-2012-12#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/improving-economy-responsible-for-rising-traffic-deaths-2012-10The Improving Economy May Be Partly Responsible For Rising Traffic Deathshttp://www.businessinsider.com/improving-economy-responsible-for-rising-traffic-deaths-2012-10
Wed, 03 Oct 2012 15:28:26 -0400Alex Davies
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/4f859133ecad04b72600003a-400-300/car-crash-flipped.jpg" border="0" alt="car crash flipped" /></p><p>Safety experts say a recent rise in traffic deaths may be caused in part by the improving economy.</p>
<p>Deaths in the first half of 2012 rose nine percent over the same period last year, to 16,290, <a href="http://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/445513/traffic-safety-facts.pdf">according to a report</a> from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.</p>
<p>Insurance Institute for Highway Safety spokesman Russ Rader <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/traffic-deaths-jump-after-six-year-decline/2012/10/02/a70d1968-0bfd-11e2-bb5e-492c0d30bff6_story.html?wprss=rss_social-local-headlines&amp;Post+generic=%3Ftid%3Dsm_twitter_washingtonpost">told the Washington Post</a>, "People who lose their jobs or are worried they may lose them don't take as many optional trips...Once the economy improves, that confidence comes back."</p>
<p>The report notes vehicle miles traveled in the six month period increased by 15.6 billion, a 1.1 percent increase. With more drivers on the road, accidents, and thus deaths, increase.</p>
<p>Traffic deaths have declined precipitously since 2006, reaching a 60 year low in 2011. That mark makes this year's nine percent jump more noticeable, but the 16,290 deaths actually represent a 27 percent decline from 2006.</p>
<p>Other potential factors behind the recent bump include the warm winter and low gasoline prices, which mean more drivers on the road, and the increase in texting while driving and the use of prescription drugs, <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/03/uk-usa-traffic-deaths-idUSLNE89201520121003">according to Reuters</a>.</p>
<p>The numbers released in the report are provisional, and a full breakdown of traffic deaths in 2012 will be available in about a year.</p>
<p><strong>See More: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-20-most-miserable-states-for-driving-2012-9">The 20 Most Miserable States For Driving</a></strong></p>
<p>[Via <a href="http://www.planetizen.com/node/58670?utm_campaign=twitter&amp;utm_source=twitterfeed&amp;utm_medium=twitter">Planetizen</a>]</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/improving-economy-responsible-for-rising-traffic-deaths-2012-10#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p>